Igbos can’t blackmail, intimidate North to get 2023 presidency – ACF

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The Secretary-General, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, has advised the South-East geopolitical zone to develop a winning game plan and sell such to other zones in order to win the 2023 presidency.

According to him, the zone’s present strategy of intimidation, threats and playing the victim would only end in failure.

Sani stated this while answering a question on where the presidency should go in 2023 in an interview published by Sunday Sun.

He maintained that democracy remained a contest of ideas and not a bullfight, hence a more conciliatory and dialogue-based approach would help the Igbos’ cause.

“I still maintain that it is too early to discuss politics of 2023 just after the inauguration of the President.

“This is because such early discussion undermines the place of performance in our body politics in favour of politics of identity.

“In the absence of national consensus about politics of zoning that is binding on the political parties which are the only ones allowed to present candidates for elective offices, I advise the Igbo to develop their winning game plans and sell to other sections of the country more persuasively rather than the current approaches using intimidation, threats and playing victims.

“This is because democracy is a contest of ideas and reasons and not bullfight,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ACF scribe expressed support for the Anti-Social Media Bill currently before the Senate but advised the sponsors to do away with capital punishment as one of the sanctions for violators.

Sani said, “I like social media because the platforms enable ordinary people to interact with the powerful and leaders.

“Unfortunately, the credibility of social media is being rubbished by fake news and hate speech capable of causing havoc in the society.

“As a result, older people are deserting social media to the chagrin of the youths who need it the most.

“That is why I want some form of regulation of the practices of social media provided that the sanctions for infraction would not include capital punishment.”